The Misadventures of Raising Allen Walker
by hetalianGemini
Summary: Modern AU (Though you may need to squint a bit) Just shorts of Mana and Nea making attempts at raising Allen This is posted on My AO3 as well (There are descriptions on there that I can't figure out how to put here)
1. Chapter 1

"Mana, what are you doing?" Tugging his scarf away from his mouth to question his elder twin, he made an attempt to move closer to the wall of the building, not wanting to get pushed around by the other patrons on the walkway. Catching the other's eye as he pulled his scarf back up, he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his shoulder up against the bricks. He couldn't help as his eyes drifted between the crowd of patrons walking by, busy running between shops and holding their purchases close to their bodies. Only a few spared the two of them a glance before continuing on their way, not that he minded. He'd rather not have all the unwanted attention. Feeling his coat sleeve being pulled at, he let his eyes wanted back to his brother, the other's brown eyes wide in what he could only guess was shock.

"Nea, come over here and look at him. He's so little and cold…" Rolling his eyes, he assumed that the elder had found yet another stray within the alley, but still moved to the other's side to see what had grabbed his brother's attention. He thought he'd see a scrawny animal within the other's gloved hands, instead he was taken aback by the almost too small body in Mana's arms.

"Is that a baby? Wait a second, was your first reaction to check _what_ he was." Sending a look to Mana, he pursed his lips as he knelt beside his brother.

"Of course I didn't check right off the bat, it just happened. Do you see the blanket he was wrapped in? I'm surprised it stayed on him for this long. And what did you think he was? A shaved cat?" Taking a glance at the poor excuse for a blanket, he let out his breath. Okay he had a point there, though calling it a blanket was a grave overstatement. It looked more akin to a worn washrag littered in holes than its generous title of blanket.

"Alright you have a point." Closing his eyes for barely a second, they opened at hearing buttons being pulled apart, the metal snaps audible despite the loud ambience from the concrete walk less than a foot away. "What are you doing Mana?!" Watching as the small boy was set back into the cardboard box for a moment as Mana removed his coat, Nea could finally see the child's full body. The little boy was probably small for how old he was, let alone malnourished if him being able to see the infant's rib cage was telling enough on that point. It was almost scary how fragile the little baby looked. Blinking quickly, he watched as his brother set his coat on the ground, barely managing to haphazardly wrap the baby into the warm fabric.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm not just going to leave him here to freeze to death. Do you see how small he is? He probably wouldn't have survived the night with how cold it is." Watching his brother's long brown hair move through the cold air with him, he sighed bringing both hands up to the scarf around his neck.

"Well what are the both of us going to do if you get sick Mana. Here, wear my scarf, it's too cold to be out here in just your long sleeve and gloves." Unwinding the thick fabric from around his neck, he took care to not catch his older brother's hair in the scarf as he wrapped it around Mana's neck, helping the elder to his feet after standing himself. Watching his twin's eyes blink a few times, he couldn't help but mirror the smile that graced Mana's face after a moment.

"Thank you Nea." Laughing a little, he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, both eyes closed as he leaned back a little.

"It's no problem, someone's going to need to take care of the kid. Not saying I'm not going to help, but would you really trust me with taking care of him? And anyway I've got my hands full with Tim and keeping the rest of Adam's kids from bothering us." Hearing his brother's light laughter, he managed to pull his sibling into the fray of hurried people on the walk, trying to get away from the alley.

"I keep telling you that you don't need to do that, I wouldn't mind Tiki, Sheril and Road visiting us every once in a while." Scrunching up his face a bit at the three mentioned, he sighed, his breath turning white in the air.

"I mind though, Sheril is so weird. But I guess Tiki and Road are alright, just as long as Tiki stops trying to get you to gamble with him." Pausing at noticing his brother stop, he turned to face the young man. "Mana?"

"Maybe we should grab some things for him, at least enough for tonight." Glancing to the shop the other had stopped by, he froze up a little before moving closer to his brother.

"We don't even know what a baby needs in general, especially not this one! We don't even know his name or when he was born." Watching hazel eyes turn to him after a moment, he was pulled up against the wall before feeling the light weight being set in his arms.

"There's no harm in guessing and trying, Nea. I'll be right back so just stay there." Watching as Mana walked into the shop, he glanced down into the bundle, freezing up as his eyes met a set of silver staring back at him. The little boy must've woken up at some point while they were walking. Taking a breath through his nose, he couldn't help but smile at the little body in his arms.

"Hey there kiddo, you're finally awake. We haven't figured out a name for you yet, but I'm your uncle Nea I guess. My brother Mana is getting things you're going to need, he's the one who found you in that alley back there." He had started branching off on a tangent, unable to let himself and his now self proclaimed nephew stand in silence till Mana returned. The silver eyes watched him, and he watched them in return. Nearly jumping as he felt a hand on his shoulder, he held the boy closer to his chest as he looked over to whoever had touched him, relaxing a bit at seeing his brother's laughing face.

"Come on let's get home, I'm sure Tim would like to meet Allen." Blinking a few times, he glanced to Mana for a moment before falling in step with the long haired brunette.

"Allen? Is that what you're naming him?" Watching Mana nod, he glanced back down to the silver eyed bundle in his arms.

"Yeah, and since we don't know when he was born I was thinking it could be today, the day we found him." Blinking a little, he couldn't help but smile as he watched Mana unlock the door to their home, watching as Tim ran through the open door and around his legs in greeting before dashing back into the house.

"Well I guess Tim missed us." Handing the bundle of coat and baby back to his brother, he moved to find where Tim had run off to, picking up the golden retriever pup off the floor. Hearing the other's soft voice, from the other room, he couldn't help but glance over to the tree in the corner of the room.

"Happy Birthday Allen, and Merry Christmas."


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? Need any help?" Leaning his shoulder up against the wall of the spare room, he watched as his brother tried fitting the diaper on the baby, the small boy having finally been washed and cleaned up as best as possible only a bit ago. Nea could watch as Mana huffed in annoyance, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong in his attempts to dress the underweight infant. It didn't help that said infant was being fussy, skin scrubbed as red as his disfigured little arm, and letting his new parent know how displeased he was.

"No I don't know what I'm doing but I'm sure I can figure it out. Allen please stay still and calm down so I can get you dressed, you'll warm up when you're clothed and then you'll be able to eat, okay?" Flinching unwillingly as the fussing nearly tripled, he questioned why they had taken in the boy in the first place, mentally kicking himself at the condition little Allen was in the night before. Watching the other slump a little, most likely giving up, he paced closer about a foot or two.

"You doing okay Mana? Didn't give up did you." Trying not to sound as teasing as he was, he laughed a little at his brother's light and tired glare towards him.

"Nea…" Smirking, he moved to his brother's side, crossing his arms over his chest. Both of Mana's hands were against the towel he had put under Allen so the bed sheets wouldn't get soaked, holding the small baby from rolling off the furniture.

"Yes Mana? Need something?" Watching his elder twin frown at him, he gave a smile. Oh he definitely knew he was irritating Mana, but knowing wasn't going to stop him.

"Please help me dress Allen, I can't figure out how everything is supposed to go and with him fussing so much it's even harder." Watching as the younger of the two of them failed to hold back his laughter, Mana closed his eyes again, expecting Nea to walk off. Maybe he should just wait for Allen to calm down before he made his attempts at getting clothes on the tiny baby. Blinking a little as he saw his brother's hands next to his, he couldn't help but smile, glancing to the other.

"Sure I will, we'll figure it out together. I'll make sure he doesn't roll while you get him dressed." Nodding, he grabbed the diaper he had been trying to use. It took a few moments for him to catch both kicking feet, and with a bit of verbal input from Nea that the article in his hand was backwards, he was able to get at least the diaper on his son. Whilst his attempt and success at getting _something_ on the baby, Allen had started to calm down bit by bit, probably from how there were now two sets of warm hands holding him.

"You think that's enough for now? I mean it'll probably be easier to finish dressing him after he eats." Asking aloud, he felt as Nea backed off.

"It's your choice, but I'll go try make a bottle. It's just putting that powder into water and shaking it, right?" Shaking his head a little, he carefully picked Allen up and held him against his chest before grabbing a thick blanket to wrap him in.

"It's a bit more than that, Nea. It's supposed to be warm, but not hot. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to test it against your inner wrist to make sure." Watching Nea blink a few times as he spoke, he wrapped the blanket around Allen loosely. The two of them stood there for a few more moments in moderate silence before the baby in his arms started fussing again.

"Okay explain that to me while I'm doing it, because it sounds like a load of bullshit." Narrowing his eyes at his brother's words, he tapped his foot for a few moments before he could see Nea visibly realize what he had said. "Oh come on, we've had him for less than a day and you're already this protective of him? It was one word and I doubt he can understand us to that extent yet. Just, please Mana, explain what you were telling me, I'll try to keep my words in check as best as I can around Allen." Sighing a little, he nodded, following Nea into the other room. Watching his brother grab what he directed, he tried to explain what needed to be done as Nea worked. Being handed the bottle after the fact, he wasn't surprised with how quickly Allen took it.

"Was that a record? For a moment there he looked like he hadn't eaten for days." Laughing a little at Nea's words, he tried to take the quickly draining bottle from Allen to let the baby breathe, only getting resistance and squirming limbs in response.

"Well this is the fourth time I've fed him since we found him, and its doubtful that someone fed him while he was in that box. So I'm not surprised that he's hungry." Watching confusion spread over Nea's expression as Allen finally gave him the empty bottle, he grabbed a dish towel and threw it over his shoulder. Setting his son against the cloth, he went along with the same thing he's done the previous three times he's fed Allen.

"I don't remember you feeding him more than once last night, when did you feed him?" Sighing softly as he heard the little one burp, he kept the boy in place as he gave his brother a look, mentally wondering if he'd be getting annoyed again purposefully.

"He was in my room with me last night, so I'm not surprised you didn't hear him crying. I fed him twice between when you went to bed and when the sun had risen." Unable to hold back his yawning anymore, he tried to blink away his grogginess. Allen had finally stopped being fussy, and that meant he could hopefully get sleep finally, well if he was willing to sleep during the day, let alone being away from the baby in his arms. Nea must have been able to tell what he was thinking, because his twin tried to take the bundle from him, himself stepping back.

"Mana, please give me him. You need sleep, I'll take care of him while you do. Timcanpy can set me straight if I do something stupid. You look exhausted, Allen kept you up all night and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help. Just please, get some sleep, I can handle him while you do. I made his fourth bottle, and I helped you get the diaper on him so I think I can handle him for at least a few hours." Sighing at his brother's words, he reluctantly handed the thin baby over, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm as he tossed the dishrag onto the counter.

"Alright, you have him for a while. But if you need me get me, I don't care if I'm asleep. If something happens I need to know about it." Feeling a kiss pressed to his temple, he tried to cover up another yawn before returning the gesture, pressing a light kiss to Allen's forehead as well. Feeling a hand grab his arm before he got too far, he glanced back briefly.

"Asking this now so you don't think it happened while you were asleep, but did you know about this injury over his eye on the left side?" Blinking a few times as he tried to process the words in his exhausted head, he nodded briefly.

"I saw it while I was giving him a bath, he was so dirty that I couldn't see it at first. I was going to bandage it so it didn't get infected but I must've forgotten." Watching Nea nod, he felt the same warm hand push him further toward his room.

"I'll get it covered, you get to bed Mana." It felt like he was pacing as an undead on his way to his room, practically passing out once he reached his bed.

Waking back up to a silent home, he had to squint to see his clock with his sleepy eyes. By how dark it looked outside he could already tell that he had been asleep for a few hours at the least, the clock telling him it was close to nine o'clock at night. Sitting up on his bed, he tried to use his fingers to get the tangles and snags from his long hair. Standing from his bed, he fixed his shirt as he walked down the hallway, peeking into both Nea's and Allen's rooms only to find them empty. He found the reason why upon reaching the family room. Grabbing one of the cameras from the shelf above the fireplace, he took a quick picture of the scene before him. Mana didn't think he'd get to see this again, so he wanted to take a picture before the memory lost to time.

Nea definitely wouldn't enjoy him sharing the picture with the family, but it'd be fun to remember later on.

Pacing closer to the couch after putting the camera back, he smiled at the empty bottles and the dishrag that were on the coffee table. Pulling the blanket off the back of the couch, he was careful to not wake either of them as he draped it over the trio. Stepping back a few feet, he couldn't keep the smile off his face, even while he collected the mess from the coffee table. Walking back to the kitchen to clean up after his brother, he left said brother where he was sleeping on the couch, holding Allen on top of his chest with one hand while the other rested on top of Timcanpy's head.


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't know Road, Allen is still so little. I don't want him getting lost or hurt." Glancing to his half-sister, he tugged at the sleeve of the button up, his back against the door frame into Allen's room. The little toddler was curled up in his crib, napping for the moment. He really didn't want to leave without the small boy, but with how the conversation was going he may just need to.

"Don't worry Mana, I'll be with him the whole time. I'll just be taking him around the block to the park. And we'll be with Timcanpy! So Allen will have two beings protecting him. You can't keep him holed up inside the house whenever you're not with him, that just sounds like a bad fairy tale ripoff." Hearing his teenage sister try putting her point across, he sighed softly, already knowing that it would happen wether he liked it or not. "And anyway, you and Nea are supposed to have lunch with Adam today. You at least know me and know that I'd never let my nephew get hurt." Closing his eyes as she finished speaking, he felt fabric being thrown at him after another minute.

"You know that Road is right, and I for one don't want to be in the same room as that bastard, but it's been a while and you need to give Allen space. Now get your vest and ribbon on so we can get this over with, Road is probably the most trustworthy of our siblings." Pulling the vest on and tying the strip of fabric under the collar, he sent his younger twin a glare, arms behind his head to fix the ribbon holding his hair back.

"You cuss in front of Allen again and he picks it up you're going to find yourself on the roof without half your hair Nea. Alright Road, but if anything happens you need to tell me as soon as possible." Pacing over to the crib swiftly as his son woke up, he lifted the yawning boy from the blanket he had managed to get on top of. "Hey there buddy, you're awake hm?"

"Ma." Hearing the bundle of limbs in his arms start giggling, he couldn't help but laugh a little at how his son referred to him. He could blame Nea for it, he just couldn't wait for Allen to use more than just half his first name.

"I have to go somewhere with your uncle Nea for a while, and while we're gone auntie Road is going to play with you and Tim. Is that okay?" Watching the thick tufts of white hair move around as Allen looked around the room for who had been mentioned, he felt the two and a half year old start bouncing in his arms upon finding Road.

"Roro! Roro!" Smiling at how excited Allen was to see his aunt, he finally relinquished his hold on his son to the teen, catching his brother looking at his pocket watch, probably trying to figure out how late they could be without getting into too much trouble. Typical Nea.

"You're getting big Allen, looking much better than you did two years ago when I first met you. Wanna say bye bye to Papa Mana and Uncle Nea?" She had seen both of her brothers walk down the hall, barely hearing what Nea had said. Watching the the giggling toddler nod his head happily, she paced after the identical duo to catch them before they left. "Hey, hold up a second."

"Is there something wrong already Road?" Shaking her head at Nea's question, she lightly bounced Allen. She'd never say it out loud, especially in front of Allen for Mana's sake, but Nea was an asshole when he wanted to be.

"Yeah there's definitely a problem, neither of you said goodbye to us! Look at this little face, you don't want to make him sad do you?" Watching both Mana and Nea blink at her, she gave a smile as she squished Allen's cheeks with one hand. Hearing the two laugh, Mana's louder and more pronounced than Nea's, she smiled brighter as they came closer again.

"Sorry about that, have fun you two. Be good for Road, Allen." Letting both of the adults say goodbye to the toddler in her arms, Road bounced on her heels a little.

"You two be good, don't get arrested again Nea, and don't get Mana arrested in your place either." Sticking her tongue out at the duo, she waved with Allen as they left, taking the toddler back to his room to dress him in play clothes so they could leave for the park. She barely got the leash on Tim before the growing dog pulled them out the door, it barely managing to get locked before the three of them were down the sidewalk. Finally making it to the park she was meaning to get to and not the one across town, she slipped the leash onto the arm that held Allen against her hip, trying to lay out a blanket that she had bought to sit on.

"Alright, I'm tired from being dragged all the way here so let's rest for a few minutes alright? Tim stay close alright? We don't want to lose you." Panting a bit as she moved to lay on the blanket, she let Allen go enough for him to sit on his own. She could watch the two of them perfectly well from where she was, Allen crawling to the edge of the blanket to play with the grass, and Tim running in circles a bit past him. She laid like that for a few minutes, watching as Tim came back to lay down on the blanket. Sitting up, she crawled over to where Allen was playing with the grass. He looked so in tune with what he was doing, hands turning green from gripping the plant life.

"How are you doing Allen having fun with the grass?" Chuckling softly as he jumped a little, she smiled at the way the large silver eyes looked at her.

"Roro! Gass! Pay? Pay?" She couldn't stop herself from laughing, especially at how adorableAllen was being. Taking both of his little hands in her own, she watched as he let go of the pieces of grass he had been holding.

"I see, you like playing with the grass don't you? It's gotten all over your hands though." At her saying that, the toddler before her took his hands back, staring at the green stains on his skin. He sat there a moment, fascinated by how his skin had changed color before he looked back to her.

"Pay? Roro pay wif me?" Oh there was no way she was ever going to be able to say no to her little nephew. Standing from the blanket, she lifted Allen into her arms, smiling at the excited noises he made.

"Of course I'll play with you, Tim can you watch the blanket please?" Glancing back to the golden puppy, she heard a soft bark before walking closer to the playground equipment. It wasn't too crowded today which was a good thing, she could guess that school was still in session for the day. She would be too if she wasn't homeschooled, but at least it was less likely for the three of them to run into many of the older kids.

The first few times she helped Allen onto the equipment, but after that he seemed to take some independence, at least enough to let her go back to Tim and the blanket. She sat there reading for a while, trying to get caught up on her schoolwork before Sheril got after her. Her older brother meant well, but he knew she was far past her age group in grade level. Glancing up every other page, she could always find Allen quickly, wether it be his white hair or his green covered hands.

Until she couldn't at least.

"Allen?!" She threw down her book, accidentally waking Timcanpy from his nap as she stood. She waited a moment to see if she got an answer, hoping that the tot was just out of her sight. She got no answer, at least before she ran towards the equipment. Oh Mana was definitely going to chew her out, she managed to lose track of his son. She barely realized how quiet it was, just trying to focus on finding her nephew. Standing still for a moment as she tried to calm herself down enough to think, she faintly heard giggling from the equipment.

Oh, so that's what was happening. This was a game. Taking steps away from the equipment, she couldn't help but hear as someone laughed behind her.

"Oh don't worry, I know where all the kids are hiding. Which one is yours little lady?" Blinking, she had half a mind to ignore the creep who looked like he was trying to flirt with her. Oh how Sheril would have a field day with that. But Allen's safety, and in relation hers, came first.

"He's a little toddler, white hair. His hands are stained green from when he was playing with the grass earlier. I just got a bit worried because I told his dad I wouldn't lose him and now this." Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked to where the older man had pointed, able to see a few tufts of Allen's hair sticking out of a gap in the equipment.

"You're a good mom, you know that? I've seen too many parents absolutely ignore their kids while here." She could feel her cheeks heat up at the compliment, but she didn't get the chance to correct the man before he left with his own son. It had actually been a pretty good hiding spot for a while, and she had gone to pack up the blanket after a few minutes. She really shouldn't have turned her back on Allen.

"Roro! Hoos peas!" Turning around, she barely caught what was about to happen before it did. Allen stood holding the bars to either side of him, looking ready to climb down and run back over to her. At least, he would've if he hadn't been standing on the laces of one of his shoes. It felt like the world and its current reality were going in slow motion, and she just couldn't get over the shock quick enough to catch the toddler. Running over as he tried to pick himself up, Road could see the small specks of blood on the pieces of gravel, her fear coming back full force.

"Allen are you okay? Where's the blood coming from sweetheart?" Watching the thick tufts of white hair being moved by red and green stained hands, she had to keep herself composed as she was shown the soon to be fresh scab on Allen's forehead. Lifting the bleeding boy from the ground, she quickly leashed Tim back up before she tried to run back to her brother's house.

"I hope they don't get back for a little longer, I need to clean you up before Mana gets back." She was a little surprised that Allen wasn't crying, but it made her job a little easier. Unlocking the door and closing it back behind her, she unleashed Timcanpy who ran off to somewhere else in the house, carrying Allen on her hip to the kitchen. She knew where the first aid kit was kept, Nea's asked her to grab it quite a few times over the years. "Alright its going to sting a little bit but I need to clean your boo-boo Allen. Hold still okay?" Watching him nod as she pulled his hair back and away from the injury, she used a clean cloth to wipe away the blood from the oddly shaped wound, it shaped more like an upside down star connecting with his other scar at the point. Getting it cleaned up and bandaged, she managed to wash off the blood from the white hair, the grass stains coming off easily when she turned her attention to his hands.

"Road? Allen? We're back. Are you here?" Kissing Allen's head after she fixed his hair, she was glad that his bangs covered the bandage. Stepping into the other room upon hearing the door close, she watched as Allen waved his hands at the adult twins.

"We're here, just got back a bit ago. By the way Mana, you no longer have a son~." Humming a bit, she enjoyed the confused expression on her brother's face, watching Nea walk into the kitchen from the corner of her eye.

"What are you talking about Road?" Grinning, she used one hand to ruffle the hair on the back of Allen's head, unable to help her laugh at the giggling she received in return.

"I'm saying that I have claimed Allen as _my_ son." Laughing at the expression she received, she held Allen closer.

"Road, you're not even sixteen…"

"Don't speak that way to me in front of my child Mana." Hearing something fall in the kitchen at her words, she horribly failed at keeping her laughter in check. Hearing something being picked up, she glanced back to see Nea holding the phone receiver against his collar. She saw Mana's eyebrow raise at his twin's presence.

"Nea? What are you doing?" Hearing Nea start talking, she stuck her tongue out at the little white-haired toddler in her arms, watching the boy laugh.

"I'm calling Sheril, he'll get her to relinquish Allen." Freezing up at the mention of her older brother, she couldn't keep from pouting, feeling a little hand try to grab her bottom lip.

"So cruel Nea, I was just playing around. Why won't you let me have any fun? See, even Allen liked our little game, and now he's pouting too. So mean uncle Nea." Lifting Allen higher so the boy could see his uncle, she had to keep her hold so she wouldn't drop him upon seeing Allen stick his tongue out at Nea. Good job kid, you're adorable. Handing Allen over to Mana, she moved to wack her half-brother on the head for ruining her little game, blinking when she realized that she forgot to inform the other adult of the bandage.

"Oh, Mana, there was a little incident at the park. Allen kind of stepped on his untied shoelaces and fell from the play equipment while I was cleaning up. He has a boo-boo above his left eye now, I've already cleaned it up. He hasn't cried about it, but you needed to know." Watching Mana push aside the child's bangs to find the bandage, she sighed in relief as the elder man kissed his son's bandage.

"Thanks for telling me Road, but don't you think it's about time you got back to Sheril and your school work?" Groaning at the words, she grabbed her bag from where she had dropped it on the floor by the door. At least she got to spend time with her nephew, but she wanted to do anything but her schoolwork now.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll be back in a few hours, don't wreck the house." Nodding as he watched Mana leave, he turned to the couch, bouncing Allen in his arms as he looked to his friend and half-brother.

"I still don't understand how the three of us got stuck with babysitting. What are we even supposed to do with him?" Hearing the words from the red-head, he really wished he didn't see the smirk on Tiki's face.

"We can leave him to his own devices right? Let's bring him with us into town, I'm sure he won't mind." In hindsight, he knew the three of them were going to regret the decision, wether Allen tattled on them or Mana found out on his own.

"Come on Nea, you going to play or are you just going to stare at your cards." Blinking as he finally escaped his thoughts, he looked back at his hand and clicked his tongue. Setting the cards down again he shook his head. He was usually able to bluff when he played, but he could just say his reason for not was sitting on the floor coloring with a lollipop in his mouth.

"Fold." Resting his forehead on his palm he closed his eyes for only a moment before he felt a hand pulling on the bottom of his shirt. "Something wrong Allen? Need to use the bathroom again?" Raising an eyebrow as he watched his nephew shake his head, he glanced to where the pages were to find them put back into Allen's backpack with his coloring tools.

"Can I play Nee? Please?" Blinking once, then twice, he couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the question. Letting Allen climb onto his lap, he made sure to hold the whitette in place so he wouldn't fall as more cards were dealt out. Catching an odd look from Tiki, he only managed to shrug.

"You sure it's smart for him to be up here?"

"He's just watching, it's not like I'm giving him any cards." If only he knew how wrong he was saying that. After a few rounds of playing he had to get up to use the bathroom, not expecting it to be so crowded when he got there. Upon getting back to the table he found what had to be one of the cutest and most scary things he's seen in his life. Allen, who had stayed in the seat when he left the table, was now standing in the chair so he could see the whole table, holding his cards close to him. Apparently by the looks of everyone's chips a few rounds had already been played. Tapping on Tiki's shoulder, he watched as Allen bounced on his feet in the chair.

"Oh, Nea, you're back? What took you so long?" Giving an unamused expression to his half-brother, he gestured to the toddler standing in his seat.

"It was crowded. Please tell me why Allen is playing in my place." Glancing around the table, he could see that there were new players, apparently a few had come and gone while he was away.

"Well the hand was dealt and we waited a few minutes for you to come back, but it was taking too long and Allen picked up your cards. Don't worry, he's kicking our asses. Though you might need to just pull up another chair, I doubt he's going to give you yours back at this point." Sighing, he waited for the round to end before he stepped over to Allen, the toddler trying to stack his tokens apart from his uncle's. By the looks of the stacks of plastic coins, the toddler really was kicking everyone's asses at poker.

"Hey kiddo, can I have my seat back? I didn't mean for you to play for me, especially not for this long." Watching as Allen chose to visibly think, he could hear the giggling before he got his answer, hearing laughter from the rest of the table.

"No! I'm play, Nee! You play too?" Okay, he couldn't say no to that face. Grabbing a chair from another table, he moved so he was on the side of Allen that was opposite of Tiki. He would need to wait for the next round in order to be dealt in, but he couldn't help his blush in embarrassment at how much better his nephew was doing at the game after watching him play maybe ten rounds before he took over.

"Hey Allen, do you need help giving Nea his chips since you kept them neat and separate?" Blinking a few times at what Cross said, he looked to the whitette as the boy shook his head. Was Allen really that sorted, enough to know how many of the pieces had originally been his? Alright, who taught the three year-old to count?

"I go it, it otay. Here oo go Nee, I ove oo!" Feeling Allen kiss his cheek, he watched as the three year-old started moving stacks of game chips after setting his cards down face up. After a few more rounds it was only Allen still putting chips into the pot, everyone else too proud to stop even if it meant using their items as payment. That didn't stop Allen's win streak, it seemed like Allen only got winning hands.

"I never thought I'd be losing to a child at poker." Hearing the mumbling from the man to his right, he couldn't help his smirk, glancing over to Allen again. He was proud of his nephew, but at the same time he was dreading the end results of this game. As it was he was down to pants and socks as betting material, but he was doing better than some of the other players. Feeling his phone vibrate from his pocket, he tilted his cards close to his chest as he reached for it. Getting an odd look from Tiki and Cross, he felt the vibration cease, the call going to voicemail. Checking for who had called, he placed his hand down, hearing the laughing and clapping from his left. His heart nearly stopped in his chest at the caller ID, and how the door to the bar opened moments after the vibrating stopped scared him relentlessly.

"I'd have thought you would have rather kept your shoes than your phone, Nea. What's wrong?" He could tell that he had gone pale without the question from his friend, having seen the other brunette enter the bar from the corner of his eye. He wasn't the only one to see Mana, Allen jumping on the chair and laughing in excitement. He wished his nephew realized that he was the only one not about to be brutally murdered by his father.

"Mana! Mana!" Said man walked over at being directed by his son, and he could see the expressions of Tiki and Cross reflecting his own. Oh they were so dead. It didn't help that the other two were only in their briefs, it actually made the scene worse.

"Hey sweetheart, what are you doing?" Watching his brother lift up the three year-old, he watched the dealer start cleaning up, grabbing the exchange box from under the table for when he could get Mana's attention.

"Play with the gown ups! I win!" Tucking his phone into his pocket again, he could see as Tiki and Cross fidgeted in their seats.

"I can see that Allen." He felt the usually warm hazel eyes turn to him with such coldness before Mana had his attention pulled by the other players standing and getting ready to go. Watching one of the larger men move up to the two of them, he wasn't as surprised as he probably should have been by how the man was acting, left only in his pants.

"It was nice playing against you kid. I doubt I'll see you around but it was nice to not have everyone getting so full of themselves for once." Watching Mana's expression as the rest of the players moved to leave, all saying goodbye to Allen, he could tell his twin was in shock by everyone's reaction.

"Wait! Don't you want your stuff back? It's cold out there and most of you are half naked." The next words spoken he could see Mana freeze.

"Nah, we're fine. The kid won them fair and square." He could watch as Allen squirmed in Mana's arms, hopping into the floor before grabbing the much too large coats he and Tiki had hung from Allen's chair. It was a sight to see a smaller than average three year-old carrying the coats that could have easily hidden him.

"Waiiit! Please take back ur coats. Thank oo for play wif me." He could see as Allen made sure the grown men got their coats on from where he sat, able to hear as the dealer spoke with Mana about exchanging the chips for cash. After everything was sorted, most of the physical winnings being put into Allen's backpack and a second bag that the bar was more than happy to give them, Mana ushered the rest of them out only returning Cross' and Tiki's pants so the two wouldn't get in trouble for public indecency. His socks weren't much help against the cold of the concrete below him, but he couldn't pay much attention to that, dreading reaching home.

"Alright, while Allen is changing into his pajamas, who's bright idea was it to take him to a bar and let him gamble?" Within an instant he saw the other two point fingers, Cross at Tiki and Tiki towards himself. "Nea? You going to give an answer or are you just going to end up pointing at yourself?" Hearing the disdain in his brother's voice, he could hear Allen's giggling from the other room.

"Tiki said we should go out to the bar. Allen took my spot when I left for the bathroom and neither of these two stopped him." His answer didn't really help the situation the three of them were in, Mana grabbing some of his extra hair ribbons to tie their wrists behind their backs. That night his head felt half as light as he went to sleep, the backyard scattered with hair in both dark brown and red. At least he could pull off wearing a hat.


	5. Omake

**Chapter 1**

"Wait a minute. Mana, didn't we use to know someone named Allen?" Blinking a little as he looked to his brother, the other holding the now named baby boy in one arm while trying to fix a bottle with the other it seemed. He watched Mana freeze in place for a moment, the eldest of the room occupants closing the tin holding what he guessed was the mix for the formula. He'd learn what it was eventually.

"I don't know what you're going on about Nea. I mean we've probably run into quite a few people who go by Allen, it's not exactly a rare name." Blinking, he tried to think back on where and who used the name. That's when he remembered, the large ball of white fur from long before, back when both he and Mana were still in grade school, long before when they still lived with their mother.

"Mana… did you really just name Allen, the baby you just picked up from a cardboard box in an alley an hour ago, after the dog we had back in grade school?" Watching his older brother flinch, he couldn't stop himself from sighing. Maybe he shouldn't have asked, the memory was terrible for Mana.

"It was the only name I could think of, and it fits him. I know its been a long time, but it's stuck in my memory. This just felt right, I don't know why." Giving his twin a smile, he set the puppy on the floor before pacing over, pulling Mana into a hug. He remembers the same event as Mana, but he was thankfully not affected as badly. It was after their twelfth birthday, and the two of them were out walking dog Allen. Apparently the driver hadn't seen them, and it didn't help that he didn't have his lights on. If the hound hadn't noticed the vehicle and thrown Mana back by his sleeve he doesn't believe that he would've lasted much longer, especially with their family situation being what it used to be.

"You're going to make fun of me, aren't you. I don't want to hear it." Pulling back a little to clearly see Mana's face, he moved both his hands up to hold his brother's face, having to stand on his toes for a moment in order to successfully press a kiss to the top of Mana's head.

"I'm not going to laugh, why would you think so low of me? Part of me thinks that doggy Al knew what was going on, that if he didn't save you, you wouldn't have been able to save this Allen tonight. And that's honestly really cool in my opinion." Watching Mana's expression change as he spoke, he gladly matched his twin's smile. "Let's get to bed Mana, try to get a good rest before tomorrow comes. Merry Christmas, Mana."

**_XXXXX_**

**Chapter 2**

"Oh look at you Nea! You're so cute in this picture!" Hearing his half sister's cooing from the other side of the room, he slowed his playing to a stop, the notes drifting to silence under his fingers. Turning to face where the young teen stood by the fireplace, he could see that her attention was fiercely focused on a photograph that sat on the ledge.

Wait, photograph?

Standing from the bench, he took quick steps over to where his youngest sister stood, glancing over the mantle that usually only held fake flowers in vases and a few pictures of family, finally finding the photograph that the girl was talking about. He very vaguely remembered when it had been taken, he hadn't even noticed that Mana had captured the scene. Picking up the frame, he glanced over the image of himself, his nephew, and Timcanpy asleep on the couch. It had to have been the second day they had Allen, the date being close to six months ago now.

"You didn't even know it was there, did you Nea. How long ago was it taken, Allen looks smaller than he does in the other pictures." Glancing up from the picture to the girl who stood beside him still looking at the image in his hand, he couldn't stop his smile, resting his arm on the girl's head, effectively messing her already disheveled hair up even more.

"I didn't even know it existed, Road, Mana never showed me it before he put it here. I barely remember how we ended up like that, but it was the second night we had Allen and I was taking care of him while Mana got some sleep. It was almost, what, six months ago now? He's grown so much since then. He was practically skin and bones when we found him in that alley." Laughing a little at how she tried to fix her hair and shove his arm off, he set the picture frame back in its place on the mantle, watching the fourteen year old get lost in thought for another moment.

"They're supposed to be back soon, right? I can't wait to meet Allen finally." Watching the girl bounce a little in her flats, he rolled his eyes as he moved back over to the piano.

"Mana sent me a message that they're on their way back now, though Allen might be asleep when they get here." Watching his sister nod before he turned back to the keys, he heard her sit back down on the couch that sat against the wall of the room. Thankfully for Road, Allen was awake when he got back from the doctors office, and he enjoyed seeing the girl play with her little nephew. He sure needed to step up his game if he wanted to be the best uncle.

_**XXXXX**_

**Chapter 3**

"Yikes kiddo, that's got to be a big ouchie." Glancing over his brother's shoulder as the elder changed the bandages over Allen's eyebrow, he almost couldn't watch as some of the scabbing was pulled up by the edges of the bandage tape. Hearing his brother start laughing a little, he glanced back over to the other two for only a moment to see that Mana _was_ laughing at him.

"Anything looks like it hurts to you, Nea. Honestly, Allen is being so much braver than you've ever been, and there's a twenty year gap between you two. Now hold still for another moment, Allen, I need to grab another piece of gauze. Don't scratch your forehead again or you'll make it bleed again. I don't think you want to see your uncle faint again." Pouting at his brother's words toward him, he crossed his arms as he watched the other man leave the room to find the rest of the aid kit. Glancing back to his nephew, he grabbed the boy's wrist quickly, pulling it away from the dark red and broken up scab above the boy's left eye.

"Hey, you heard your dad. If you keep trying to scratch it it'll bleed again. If it bleeds then it's not going to get better and it'll scar up and be there the rest of your life." Watching one silver eye look up at him, the other closed so the injury could be repatched, his eyebrows knit together as he watched blood bead up at where the boy had managed to rub against.

"But it itchy uncle Nee." Sighing as he heard his white haired nephew whine, he pinched the bridge of his nose, grabbing the wet cloth that Mana had left on the counter to wipe off the boy's hand and dab lightly at the newer wound.

"I know it itches Allen, but that's just because your body is trying to put itself back together. A scab is like the body's bandage, it holds and protects what got hurt so it can get better. It's not normally there so it gets uncomfortable and we tend to rub and scratch what's uncomfortable, but if we do that it'll take longer to get better and we end up with marks in the place where the hurt was. Those are called scars, and there are lots of people who have them. It's like the line that's over your eye that you've had since you were a little baby." He barely noticed how Mana had come back, taking the gauze that was set on the counter and being careful as he taped it in place so he wouldn't tape over the scab or his nephew's hair.

"Do yoo have scar Nee?" Nodding a little, he lightly traced two of his fingers over his outer thigh, practically able to see the white-pink line through the fabric of his pants.

"Yeah I have one, it's older than you are and there's a dumb reason behind it but I have one. You can't see it because it's right here on my leg, but it's there. It hurt and itched a lot when I first got it, but now it's not too bad, maybe a little itchy." Pointing along the line he knew was there, he felt the air being knocked out of his lungs as Allen practically threw himself at him, wrapping his mismatched arms around his neck to hug him.

"Lov yoo Nee." Smiling as he held the boy against his chest, he rubbed his nephew's back.

"I love you too Allen."

_**XXXXX**_

**Chapter 4**

"Mana, _please_. I told the truth! Doesn't that count for something?" Holding his hands up as he backed away from his twin brother who held the electric razor, he nearly felt his heart stop as his back hit the wall. He could see his nephew standing by his piano, dressed in his pajamas and holding his blanket in one arm, watching Mana chase after him with the wireless hair cutting machine.

"The truth doesn't help the fact that you didn't stop him from continuing, let alone be the voice of reason against taking a three year old to a bar and letting him play poker. You could've at least waited till he was fourteen!" Backing himself further against the wall, he glanced over to where Cross and Tyki sat tied in kitchen chairs, both already missing half of their hair to the shears his brother held. Hearing the crinkling of the tarp that was laid out on the floor being shifted, he felt as his right leg was grabbed before the toddler ran to his other side.

"I told you, I only meant for him to watch originally. Have you _seen_ his puppy dog eyes, Mana? I couldn't say no even if I tried." He honestly didn't regret much of what had happened, only that he didn't mention it all to Mana when he first found the toddler in his place.

"Mana, he kicked our asses in poker, in public, at three years old. Honestly you should be proud of the kid, he learned how to win after watching Nea lose a dozen times." Oh Tyki, you just had to phrase it like that. Allen please, please don't repeat that…

"Mana? Why mad at dem? Am in trouble too?" Hearing the soft voice, he watched as Tyki flinched in the chair, realizing that he said that with the child in the room. He relaxed a little as he watched his brother try getting eye to eye with the cowering child, stiffening back up as Allen squeezed his leg tighter. At least it wasn't his right leg.

"No I'm not mad at you, Allen, and you're not in trouble." He could see his brother was having a hard time trying to explain what was wrong with how they were found earlier. Barely glancing down as he heard Allen stomp his feet, he tried not to laugh at how defiant the toddler was. They definitely got the terrible twos late.

"Then why cut Nee hair? Why Iki hair?" Alright, this wasn't going to end if it wasn't explained. Grabbing the little arms that were around his leg, he moved to sit on the tarp while he held the boy in his lap. He slipped out of his vest and button up that Allen had returned to him briefly and tossed the articles across the room so hair wouldn't get caught in it.

"Because we didn't mention that we were taking you anywhere and it's usually not safe to bring little kids into those kinds of places. We were really lucky that everyone was a good sport when we were playing or something could have happened. Don't worry kiddo, your dad has done this to all of us before to some degree, I remember when he tied Tyki to the roof for smoking inside the house." Hearing his nephew start laughing, he felt the razor against the back of his head, able to feel as his brother shaved half of his head.

"Mana, can you just finish chopping off my hair? It'll be easier to explain to Sheril and I _did_ just cuss in front of the kid." He had to keep still so Mana didn't shave his eyebrow off by accident again, but he really wanted to laugh.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just say I was getting back at you for taking Allen into a bar?"

"Do you really want to deal with _Sheril_? I was just going to say it was a bet." Full on laughing, he could barely see as some of his hair landed on Allen when his head went forward. It also looked like Mana cut a little too much off. Oh well, it was going to happen anyway. Helping pick all of his dark hair off the boy, he felt as Mana cut the last of it off before doing the same to Tyki.

"Do you want me to shave the rest off Marian?" Holding his sleepy nephew against his chest as he watched Mana ask the redhead the question, he watched as Tyki was untied.

"Nope, I'd like to keep my hair. I'm going to head home, I'll come by again eventually." Watching as the undoubtedly drunk man walked out the door once untied, he shook his head as he watched Mana start cleaning up, telling Tyki to take the tarp outside so the birds can have the hair.


End file.
